<<<PREVIOUS POST                                                                                                                   NEXT POST>>>

 

[“He who knows that This (Ātman) is indestructible, everlasting, unborn and undiminishing, O Partha, such a person (saḥ purushaḥ) kills whom and how? Whom and how he causes to kill?” those were Kṛshṇa’s words in the last verse.]

 

Translation

Just as a person discards the worn-out garments and takes new ones, the embodied Ātman (dehī) casts off the worn-out bodies and assumes other new ones.

Annotation

“Arjuna, a person has to buy new garments to replace the worn-out ones. Note the fact that a person has many garments at any point in time. He or she always possesses a multiple number of garments despite disposing of the older ones. Likewise, Ātman pervades all the bodies simultaneously and keeps replacing the decrepit ones with new bodies.”

Kṛshṇa points out two facts here. One, the inevitability of arrival and departure of bodies, usually referred to as birth and death. Worn-out bodies have to be replaced. He has already explained that each body is only a bhāva (manifestation, of the same dehī), and bhāva has no existence of its own. Two, Ātman or dehī (sat or Existence) is only one and It provides life and temporal existence to all the beings (in multiple bodies) of the world. In order to convey the second fact, the verse clearly states dehī (singular) versus many bodies, just as a person versus many garments.

We may find sometimes this verse interpreted as the theory of rebirth. On strict scrutiny of the statements, we will rule out that possibility. We can call it rebirth only if “something” from the discarded body-mind complex is “transferred” to the new body to preserve at least some matter from the “previous birth”. The substance of Bhagavan’s words so far is that here nobody is born, nor does anyone die. For this reason, he begins in verse 12, saying Arjuna has no reason to grieve over the death of anybody. In verse 13, we have covered exhaustively that the Gita views (what we call) birth and death as part of the continuous changes that take place in the body; body belongs to the ever changing Nature. If the Gita teaches there is no birth and death, then how can it endorse the theory of rebirth? If we feel uncertain about this truth any time, meditating on verse 20 of this chapter will be of great help:

This (Ātman) is never born, nor does This ever die. Having been existed always, This does not cease to exist. This is unborn, eternal, unchanging, and primeval. It is not killed as the body is destroyed.

For Vedanta, the body (body-mind complex) is inert matter, which is animated with life only when Ātman is present in it. Kṛshṇa says Ātman discards the worn-out bodies and takes different [anyāni (अन्यानि)] new ones. [Ātman is the ‘all-controller or Īśa’ for everything in the universe, so is for the decision on the bodies It assumes. The intelligence for all decisions is intrinsic to the supreme wisdom (jñāna) ̶ Ātman exists as jñāna]. It is in line with pure Vedanta philosophy, which does not support the principle of rebirth. Mythology has stories describing rebirth or reincarnation as devices to explain the doctrine.

[This author has read interpretations supporting the theory of rebirth, quoting, for example, verse I.6 of Katha Upanishad. The verse referred to says, “Man decays and dies like corn and man is born again like corn.” The verse does not mention rebirth. It should read: a man dies, and another is born. In fact, the word man is used to denote all human beings. The seeker in the Upanishad utters these words just before he sets out to find the secret of death from Death (the Lord of death) himself. So, it should be taken as the seeker’s observation before he is enlightened about Truth. Upanishads/Vedanta teaches about immortality of human beings to be experienced by Self-realization or being a knower of Brahman (Brahma-jñāni). Whenever the Upanishads mention death and rebirth, it is about the perception of those who have no ability to discriminate between the Real and the non-Real, between the eternal and the transient. In the wisdom context, they are the ‘ignorant’ (people of avidya) and, to them, birth, death, and rebirth will seem real.]

 

Translation

Weapons do not cut It (Ātman) into pieces, fire does not burn It, water does not soak It, and wind does not dry It either.

Annotation

“Arjuna, while teaching you how to attain śreyas, I keep repeating the principles and facts I have covered already, so that there is continuity in the thought process. Ātman is the only one thing which has existence and so it is sat. Haven’t I told you that Ātman is the primal cause of the universe? The universe and all its entities comprise the effect of the primal cause. Effect cannot endanger the cause, for effect is just the shadow of the cause. I say, therefore, no weapon cuts Ātman, fire does not burn It, water does not soak It, and wind does not dry It either. Nothing in the world affects It, for everything here is Its manifestation alone.”

This is how the Gita wants us to understand the distinction between the body and Ātman.

 

Translation

It (Ātman) cannot be cut, burned, soaked, or even dried; the everlasting, all-pervading, ever stable, immobile embodied is eternal.

Annotation

The reader may wonder why some things from the previous verse are repeated here. In verse 23, we have seen the end of the distinction made between the transient body and the eternal Ātman. Now, in verses 24 and 25 together, the Gita gives its definitive description of Ātman. It is important to note this style in which the Gita summarizes and emphasizes the doctrinal statements at the end of every major explanation. It helps the learners to distinguish the pure teaching from all the extraneous views and ideas mentioned in the discussion to illustrate how distinct is the eternal Truth.

 

Translation

It (Ātman) is beyond the sensory perceptions (undefinable), It is beyond human conception, and It is said to be changeless. Thus, having known this (the embodied Ātman) in this way, you have no reason to grieve.

Annotation

In verse 25, Bhagavān concludes the introductory description of Ātman started with verse 11, “Hey Arjuna, therefore it is a waste of effort if someone tries to inflict injury or to kill Ātman which endows the bodies with life and existence. The embodied has no beginning or end. It is all-pervading, ever stable and immobile. When I describe the changeless Ātman in this way, I want you to understand that Its realm is beyond time and space; If you have understood the true nature of the embodied Ātman I have explained, you will not grieve. Ātman never grieves. Further, you may know that your own true nature is nothing but Ātman; will you still lament deaths?

“This Ātman is beyond the reach of the sensory perceptions, so I call It indistinct (avyaktaḥ). The indistinct Ātman manifests Itself as all the distinct (vyaktaḥ) entities of the world. But they are ephemeral, so after some time they keep merging back into the indistinct (*avyakta). Further, Ātman is achintyaḥ, a thing beyond human conception; do you know why? Only when the knowledge of objects gathered by the sense organs is available in the stored memory, human beings can think, conceive and arrive at inferences, whereas Ātman is not sense-perceivable. Hear from me now one more fact. In the world, everything undergoes change (vikāraḥ); change is the characteristic of Nature. Know that, in contrast, Ātman is avikāryaḥ, the one thing that stays unchanged forever. I repeat, your own true nature is Ātman; habituate yourself to this thought by keeping it on top of your mind.”

[*Avyakta is the term used in the Sāṅkhya Darśana of Kapila to denote the first indistinct stage in the evolution (utpatti) of Nature (prakṛti) from Purusha, the equivalent of Brahman. In this avyakta stage of Nature (prakṛti), the three gunas (modalities) such as sattva, rajas and tamas of prakṛti are in equilibrium (sama). Here in the Gita, the term avyakta is borrowed from Sāṅkhya Darśana, but to represent Ātman Itself; in order to confirm this, the Gita presents here another term avikāryaḥ (that which never undergoes any change). Avyakta in Sāṅkhya Darśana is Nature (prakṛti), which is subject to change.]   

Bhagavān has been imparting the knowledge of the basic aspects of Ātman; the Gita calls this knowledge by the name Sāṅkhya and the understanding based on Sāṅkhya knowledge possessed by a seeker is sāṅkhya-buddhi. After giving the basics of sāṅkhya-buddhi, Kṛshṇa now focuses on relieving Arjuna of his distress, almost until verse 38. In this attempt, Bhagavān brings worldly arguments that are outside the domain of Brahma-vidya in order to reason with Arjuna; those arguments (particularly in the next two verses) should not be treated as part of the Gita teaching.

[The description of Ātman in this verse has some of Its important characteristics appearing in verse 7 of Māndūkya Upanishad.]

 

Translation

Now, even if you think This (the embodied Ātman) is the one that is always born and always dying, then also, O Mighty-Armed (Arjuna), you have no reason to be sorry like this.

Annotation

While studying verse 22, we have mentioned that the ‘ignorant’ (people of avidya) believe in birth, death, and rebirth, and to them, these appear real. Bhagavān knows that the Sāṅkhya reasoning just explained does not easily become integral to the ordinary human understanding (buddhi). One may take the Sāṅkhya reasoning as a part of an intellectual exercise, but being permanently disciplined by this understanding is harder. Now, in the Bhagavad Gita episode, it is imperative to relieve Arjuna of his grief and galvanize him to be of an active mind. While Kṛshṇa aims at it, the poet uses the opportunity to present the worldly view of birth and death, only to contrast the same with Sāṅkhya reasoning (sāṅkhya-buddhi).

Bhagavān has meant, “O Mighty-Armed (Arjuna), I have always appreciated your unmatched physical strength, energy and archery skills. Now I see you have still not recovered from the debilitating distress over the impending death of the millions assembled here. Do you know what will help you maintain equipoise in such a situation? The knowledge of Truth. Its strength is infinite. Never mind, what I am teaching is how to gain that strength. By the way, there is a common belief in the world that the body is Ātman. To the majority who believe so, every birth is Ātman reborn, and every death is Ātman’s death. If you also are of the same belief, then again you have no reason to worry.” In order to console Arjuna, in the next verse, Kṛshṇa even finds a logic in the belief of the ‘ignorant.’

 

Translation

For that which is born, death is inevitable for sure; for the dead, birth is also certain. Therefore, you do not have any reason to be upset about this inescapable fact of life.

Annotation

“Arjuna, a vast majority believe, though contrary to Truth, that people die and then they are reborn. Anyone who is born has to die one day. The dead ones are born again. According to such beliefs, the dead ones are sure to be reborn and you do not lose them forever. You may see the same things happening to plants and animals. Then, why should you regret?”

Kṛshṇa underlines that the death of the physical bodies should not be the point of reference. It will anyway happen. But the least understood fact is that the philosophy of the Gita is against killing; these statements must not be taken as the endorsement of war or killing or any sort of persecution. Kṛshṇa is laying the ground for Arjuna and the world to learn that all beings are verily the manifestation of the same Reality. The all-pervading Reality exists simultaneously in every being and, thus, all beings are essentially one. That being the truth, any killing is an act of suicide. Nobody is a stranger in the world. The Gita śāstra is to teach this doctrine and to explain how every human being has the possibility of experiencing the oneness of all.

 [In pure Vedanta, Ātman alone is real; births and deaths are seen only because a veil of ignorance hides the embodied; and being free from the ignorance is the goal for humans so that they do not see births and deaths anymore; then they keep seeing Ātman in everybody and everything, and Ātman has no birth and death.]

<<<PREVIOUS POST                                                                                                                   NEXT POST>>>

-----------------------------------